Don’t Fall Asleep While Shining

... It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5:11-14

I follow a simple rule of thumb in my life: Don't fall asleep while driving. This is common sense, of course. But something about sitting in a car, even while I am driving it, begs me to sleep. The purring of the motor and the gentle rocking of the car have the power to lead me to the land of slumber. Unfortunately, such a slumber could easily be my last. So, if I'm driving when tired, I usually stop for a cup of coffee or a bit of exercise. In forty-one years of driving, I've managed to obey my cardinal rule: Don't fall asleep while driving.

Ephesians 5:14 suggests a slightly different version of this rule: Don't fall asleep while shining. The passage beginning with verse 8 uses the imagery of light and darkness to reveal who we are ("light in the Lord" and "children of light") and to show us how to live ("live as children of light," don't partner with deeds of darkness, "but rather expose them"). Verse 14 completes the use of light/dark imagery by a snippet of an early Christian hymn: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

As we saw in yesterday's reflection, this quotation underscores the redemptive purpose of exposing the deeds of darkness. When we shine with Christ's light into the dark world, we are not seeking to shame or punish, but rather to redeem and renew. Our light sings to others, "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

I expect that Paul includes this hymn fragment here, not only to underscore the redemptive purpose of exposing, but also to encourage us not to fall asleep as we are shining. Indeed, we have already awakened and risen from the dead when we received God's grace through faith in Christ. Christ has already shined on us so that we might be transformed into "light in the Lord." But, there are times when we may begin to slip back into the darkness from where we have come. Though we have been raised with Christ, we can easily become drowsy, lulled into a kind of sleepy darkness. We stop shining with the light of Christ, leaving our part of the world in darkness and our neighbors without redemptive illumination.

Thus, the hymn of verse 14 both reminds us that our exposing is to be evangelistic and encourages us to remain awake so that we might reflect Christ's light into the dark world around us. This verse offers a trustworthy rule of thumb for living: Don't fall asleep while shining.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways might you be tempted to "fall asleep" and return to your "pre-light" lifestyle? What helps you to shine with Christ's light consistently? What keeps your lamp burning?